Dehydrating food has been a practical preservation strategy since ancient times. Today, dehydrated foods pop up everywhere from your favorite snack aisle to your local sporting goods store.

My backpacking trips tend to involve two markedly different approaches to eating. If I’m backpacking alone, I favor dehydrated camping meals (usually Firepot Mac n’ Greens) that I can whip up quickly ...

Adam Roy is the executive editor of Backpacker. He lives in Colorado’s Front Range, where he spends his free time hiking, climbing, and running his home mountains. I’m a former professional chef and ...